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Rating: 
Summary: Move over, Indiana Jones
Review: "Women Warriors" is fascinating -- the story of a woman archeologist, Jeannine Davis-Kimball, who, in her sixties, became an archeologist in Central Asia. It's partly autobiographical, with descriptions of her travels in Kazakstan, Mongolia, and Western China, and partly science, with descriptions and photographs of her findings. --- These, all things considered, are startling: burials of women with weapons, arrow heads, elaborate costumes, and devices, like bronze mirrors, for divination. Also gold (sometimes lots of it) as well as bronze castings decorated in the so-called "Animal Style." Davis-Kimball argues (modestly enough, I think) that these finds suggest that at least some women had high rank and status in their nomadic societies, and were probably warriors and priestesses. contrary to long-held assumptions by historians that these steppe societies were ruled by men and by male, horse-riding warriors. --- She also has a bibliography, so that anyone who wants to read the original technical papers can find them. "Women Warriors" is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the history of religions, of gender, and of Central Asia.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW 2nd try
Review: I have read the other reviews, and think the person who said that this was not archeology missed the point. This book was intended for lay people and young adults who want to know new developments and the opinions about them of practicioners, but who are not up for academic jargon. This was not intended as a thesis or scholarly tome. For the niche the author selected, it did a fine job. The only reason I did not give the book 5 stars is that I found the asides that took up 2 pages were annoying in their placement, as they frequently interrupted the main narrative in the middle of a sentance. I would have prefered that those asides be given a short chapter after the chapter they interrupted instead. I agree with the review that said these short 2 page interruptions were interesting -- I just think the book would have been even better and easier to read if they had been placed differently. This is probably the editor's fault, not the author's. I have recommended In Search of The Immortals to those who want another slant not so heavily into amazons. In Search of the Immortals is a survey of work among the preserved dead globaly (both intentionally preserved and naturally preserved) and the chapter on Eurasia makes many of the same observations as this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Insightful Journey with an Experienced Guide...
Review: I must admit that I was delighted to find this book, not just because the title intrigued me, but, more importantly, because I first became familiarized with Davis-Kimball's work when I was teaching a Women's Studies class and this was the first "print" copy of her findings that I came across. Even those who don't know who Jeannine Davis-Kimball is, probably do know something about what she has done. Davis-Kimball was the first person to uncover hard archeological evidence that the Amazons of Greek legend did, in fact, exist. But unlike common misconceptions that attempt to place the Amazons everywhere in the world from Southern Europe to the South American jungles, the "real" Amazons were nomads from the outer reaches of the Russian world; Davis-Kimball's excavations at Pokrovka uncovered female burials with large caches of weapons. Kimball goes on to link the importance of the findings with evidence from the ancient Greeks, and then goes on to trace her work on the larger canvas of world history. Academic, but accessible, this is a highly recommended work from a woman who has led a fascinating life.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting book
Review: I think I found out about this book when I was looking up information about Amazons. It is very informative and I liked the way the book was organized. I lent this book to my Physical Anthropology teacher and she likes it.
I do have to admit that I was unsure about the Mother Goddess information - I don't think that there was one religion focused on a Mother Goddess at that time - but everything else looked well researched.
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in women in military roles and it's history (in ancient times that is).
It's definitely worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: this is not archaeology
Review: if you're looking for actual archaeology, this is not the book for you. davis-kimball makes wild claims with absolutely no support (ok, she does quote herodotus on the amazons...). she states a fact, and then refers back to her own claim as proof for further, related claims. for example, she seems to expect the reader to accept that women buried with weapons were warriors and that women buried with bronze mirrors & seashells were priestesses. i don't dispute this, but i do want to know *why* i should accept this. despite the lack of support, she leapfrogs from these assumptions to make such statements as "Some women -- about 3 percent -- were buried with both warrior and priestess artifacts, which seemed to suggest an extremely high status position." infuriating.i scanned the index for marija gimbutas' name. sure enough, it's there. i do give the author credit for not quoting merlin stone. finally, despite the huge typeface & space-filling decorative flourishes the book is padded with totally uninteresting travelogue. the actual archaeological material in this book might have been enough for an article, but it would have been an article no peer-reviewed journal would have accepted. (she only got one quote from a fellow archaeologist, & that was from a professor at her own school. she did, however, get a blurb from olympia dukakis -- why i should care what an actress thinks of this book i do not know.) books such as this create an illusion of matriarchal history that is fine as empowering myth, but that does not hold water as scholarship. for a palate-cleansing rebuttal to this kind of work, read cynthia eller's The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory: Why an Invented past Won't Give Women a Future. for an entertaining -- but slightly more rigorous -- pop archaeology treat, try Sheba by nicholas clapp.
Rating:
Summary: A general tour of the Silk Road...
Review: Jeannine Davis-Kimball tells us about her adventures in exploring women's roles in ancient Eurasia through archaeological sites, Greek and Roman legends and how the people of the steppe tribes live now. She moves across the land with the speed of thought, from the mummies of China to the warrior queens of Erie. Woman were nurturers, warriors and leaders (and still are in Mongolia) sharing both power and responsible within the tribes. I think the best part about the book is not only showing that women were sometimes in charge but that men within these societies were also nurturers and shared with the daily chores. Maybe both men and women were just too busy with life to worry about sexism and gender issues. Maybe sexism is a byproduct of progress?
The book covers alot but doesn't get bogged with too much detail. Very much up-to-date information. I don't think I agree with one or two points but it's an enjoyable book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Three Cheers for Warrior Women
Review: My copy of Warrior Women looks as if I've owned it for years. Its pages are marked with hand written notes and many paragraphs are underlined using a felt tip pen. The book is enjoyable for three reasons. First, it is filled with intriguing archeological theories and case studies showing how women, living across the land from China to Ireland, were part of ancient history as warriors and priestesses. The topic of massive, elaborately decorated headdresses is particularly fascinating because I learned that headdresses are "one of the oldest cultural elements ever found." Davis-Kimball uses this icon to help reinterpret and discuss women's historical fate over the centuries. The archeological facts and new ideas the author presents flow easily chapter by chapter. Second, the book is an inspiration for modern women. Many of us have had varied lives and layers of experiences so it's inspiring to read how Davis-Kimball takes on many challenges and finds her "career as an archaeologist rather late in life." It's fun, as a reader, to be able to look over her shoulder and share her field work and sucess. Third, the layout of the book is appealing. I especially appreciated the sidebars, footnotes and glossary. For example, the sidebar titled "The Nomadic Way" is a like a two page mini story. It defines the term Nomadic and is enjoyable to read on its own merit or return to again and again as a reference point. Words in the glossary are presented in bold, easy to read type. Some words and names, that we may be familiar with, are defined according to their meaning within the text. Such as
"AMAZONS Female warriors in Greek Mythology who aresaid to have orginated in northern Turkey." After reading Warrior Women I'm ready to hop on an airplane and head for Central Asia and Mongolia!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but with a few questionable parts
Review: Warrior Women is an interesting look at some little-known cultures. The combination of personal experience with archaeological data makes it an engaging read, and it's written in a straightforward manner that makes it accessible to people who have no previous knowledge of the topic. I do have to agree with the reviewer who said the asides could have been better placed so as not to interrupt the main text. The first half of the book, recounting the author's own excavations and discoveries, is solid enough. More explanation of how conclusions were arrived at would have been welcome, although I can understand the author not wanting to get too technical in a book intended for a popular audience. Perhaps notes at the back of the book or an annotated bibliography might have been included for the use of people who wanted to study the material in greater depth. The second half of the book presents some problems. I'm always extremely wary of reading too much into similar-looking iconography from different cultures and times, so I would have appreciated firmer data on the petroglyphs' meaning. As presented, it seems like the interpretation here is largely a matter of the author's opinion. The main stumbling block, though, is the mention of the Great Mother Goddess. Although never stated explicitly, the phrasing suggests the idea of one overarching (in a monotheistic sense) mother goddess. This idea has been discredited by the archaeological community, but the author mentions only briefly in passing (in the discussion of Catal Huyuk) that controversy even exists. The appearance of believing a tenet of what can best be called fringe archaeology leaves all Davis-Kimball's archaeological interpretations open to doubt. The interpretations concerning her own field (the steppe peoples) are probably solid, but I'd rather see more corroborating evidence when she ventures farther afield. Despite these caveats, this is a worthwhile book that's guaranteed to teach the reader something new. But, like all popular discussions of scholarly subjects, it should not be read in a void.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Book, not enough though
Review: When I first picked up this book, I thought that I would find information about Warrior Women from all over the world. I really liked this book, don't get wrong, but I wanted to hear more about Women Warriors from all OVER the world. Instead, the majority (nearly half) was about the author's own excavations and finds (that were very fascinating) and then most of that half was about the Steppe nomads. I was just hoping for more info on other places. She devotes a small percentage of time to Amazons (connected to the nomads). And she went on to speak about some almost nomad like caucasian mummies they found in China. She did a great job on what she wrote of the celtic heroines, I just wish she would've written more. It was a good, informational read, but it was lacking.
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